Lu Zhi absolutely refused to admit his temper was volatile; it was merely a normal physiological response, and he staunchly denied that glimpsing someone’s bathroom door frame had led him to impure thoughts.
Lu Zhi slowly withdrew his gaze, and when he pulled back the curtains, the rare brilliant sunshine outside made him squint his eyes.
Winter was approaching, and the sun’s rays were sharp, but the temperature and climate felt pleasantly warm.
*Click.*
Shen Qi emerged from the bathroom, a bath towel casually wrapped around his waist, his upper body bare.
As Lu Zhi turned his head, he was stimulated by Shen Qi’s well-built physique. While he felt a slight blush and his heart quickened, it was mostly envy. He couldn’t help but murmur, “I don’t recall you going to the gym, how do you maintain such a good figure?”
He had a supermodel’s physique with smooth muscle lines, looking solid when clothed and lean when dressed.
Shen Qi, who was drying his hair, heard this and a faint, gentle smile slowly curved his lips. “Are you calling me old?”
Lu Zhi tilted his head, thought for a moment, and then chuckled, “Ah, it seems you are. You’re exactly a full cycle older than me. Does this count as an old ox eating young grass?”
Calculating Shen Qi’s age as a human, he was exactly one zodiac cycle older than Lu Zhi.
Shen Qi casually tossed the towel onto the back of a chair and walked over in a few strides, lifting Lu Zhi and placing him on the windowsill. The sudden action startled Lu Zhi, his feet dangling in the air. He braced himself on Shen Qi’s bare arms, his body slightly hunched, and asked, “Shen Qi, what are you doing?”
They were both leaning against the edge of the bed at this moment. One was sitting on the windowsill, wearing a simple, loose white cotton top, his fair feet dangling.
The other was wrapped in a bath towel around his waist, his upper body displaying firm, smooth muscle contours, his skin appearing faintly white under the sunlight filtering in from outside.
Shen Qi tilted his neck slightly, gazing at Lu Zhi’s face silhouetted against the light. The skin on his neck seemed to glow in the sunlight, and even his hair tips appeared to be adorned with tiny, scattered stars. The smile on his lips and the crinkles around his eyes exuded youthful vitality. Lu Zhi’s bright, clear eyes clearly reflected his image.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Lu Zhi stopped dangling his feet and, feeling inexplicably nervous, looked at Shen Qi’s face drawing closer. The anticipated soft touch of lips meeting lips was not their first,
but this was the first time it made Lu Zhi feel dizzy. What was it like?
It was like the intoxicating romance of spring flowers being kissed by butterflies.
Lu Zhi had to admit that when he initially agreed to date Shen Qi, he had approached it with a somewhat resigned attitude.
But now, he had to admit that he had fallen for Shen Qi.
Gradually, Lu Zhi’s hands wrapped around Shen Qi’s neck, responding to his kiss without any lust, but for the first time, he was affectionately conveying his feelings of liking him.
The arms encircling Lu Zhi’s waist tightened abruptly, his silver-gray eyes brimming with a smile as he captured Lu Zhi’s lower lip, now tinged with the color of rouge. “You’ve fallen for me.”
It was not a question, but a statement of fact.
Lu Zhi’s dark eyes, like two pools of water, were sparkling. He blinked gently with his half-closed eyelids, like a lazy kitten that had been pampered and was now content. He hummed in affirmation, saying, “Then you’d better put in more effort. You can like many people, but there’s only one cherished one.”
Shen Qi chuckled softly, his silver-gray eyes shining as if stars had fallen into a vast night sky. He lightly kissed Lu Zhi’s nose and replied, “Okay.”
A rumbling sound from Lu Zhi’s stomach broke the atmosphere. Lu Zhi touched his stomach and patted Shen Qi’s shoulder, “Put me down, let’s go find something to eat.”
Lu Zhi hadn't expected to sleep for a whole day and night, so of course his stomach was hungry.
While Shen Qi was changing, Lu Zhi went to the bathroom to wash up. As soon as he turned on his datapad, he received photos of Wang Cao Tian and two others playing. A picture taken at a hot pot restaurant made his mouth water.
Lu Zhi immediately made up his mind, his eyes sparkling, and said, “Shen Qi, let’s go eat hot pot.”
Shen Qi’s finger paused as he buttoned his shirt. He glanced outside at the sky and asked, “Are you sure you want to eat hot pot first thing in the morning?”
“What’s wrong with first thing in the morning? Who says you can’t eat hot pot early in the day? Stop dawdling, come on, I’m starving.” Lu Zhi slipped on his shoes and, taking Shen Qi’s hand, they walked out of the hotel.
The sun was bright outside, and there were still many tourists on Sleepless Island. Breakfast stalls were crowded, and even the hot pot restaurant had quite a few people, though there was no need to queue. After all, not many people ate such greasy food first thing in the morning.
“Boss, give me a鸳鸯 pot base, and also tripe, beef meatballs, duck intestine…” Lu Zhi quickly rattled off a list of must-order ingredients for hot pot.
As soon as the pot base arrived, Lu Zhi eagerly started cooking, exclaiming how delicious it was.
Shen Qi wasn’t much of a foodie. His only interest seemed to be cooking meat for Lu Zhi, mostly in the spicy broth, which almost all went into Lu Zhi’s stomach.
A couple sitting at the table next to them, a man and a woman, watched Lu Zhi and Shen Qi’s interaction frequently. The woman was dissatisfied that her boyfriend was only focused on eating himself. Somehow, the two parties suddenly started arguing.
The woman said, “Look at them, then look at you. I must have been blind to fall for you.”
The man retorted, “Can you stop finding fault all the time? You have hands and feet, why do you need me to cook for you? Eat it if you want, don’t if you don’t. You’re not some pampered princess who needs me to serve you, and you’re acting entitled.”
The woman’s eyes reddened with anger. “Since I’ve been with you, who does the laundry and cooking? I’ve been taking care of you. Is it too much to ask for you to pick a meatball for me? Such a small request, and you have to say such harsh words?”
The man impatiently threw down his chopsticks. “So what? What do you want? We’re having breakfast, can you not be so annoying? You always quarrel with me over these trivial matters. If you don’t want to be together, let’s break up!”
The woman trembled with anger. The onlookers’ stares and whispers made her feel so mortified that she wanted to cry.
Lu Zhi glanced at the man, who was eating and drinking as if nothing had happened, then at the standing woman, and suddenly felt that the girl had picked the wrong man.
Shen Qi used a wet wipe to clean Lu Zhi’s fingers. “Eat yours.”
Lu Zhi wasn’t one to pry. Hearing this, he withdrew his gaze, picked up a boneless duck foot that had been stewed to perfection and was bursting with spicy flavor, and took a large, satisfied bite.
After finishing his meal, the man at the next table completely ignored his girlfriend, who was still standing, and got up to leave.
At this moment, the waiter approached, asking the woman to pay the bill.
Lu Zhi was also full and satisfied. He let out a burp, picked up a bottle of soy milk, and prepared to leave with Shen Qi.
“I-I’m sorry, I don’t have enough money in my phone. I’ll call my boyfriend first.” The woman frantically dialed, but the call was not answered. In fact, it was hung up without even being heard.
As Lu Zhi passed by the woman, she finally couldn’t bear her grievances and sobbed, hugging her knees.
Lu Zhi hesitated for a moment, then stopped. He sighed and said to the waiter, “How much is it? I’ll pay for her as well.”
The waiter breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “It’s a total of two thousand six hundred yuan.”
After paying the bill, Lu Zhi crouched down slightly, tilted his head, and his dark eyes shone brightly like fireworks. “Miss, why keep a man like that? The next one will be better!”
With that, he handed the woman a tissue and, under her stunned gaze, walked out of the hot pot restaurant with Shen Qi.